6/28/10

As I sit down to write this post I remember that the oven hasn't been on in over four days. Wow. Is that a new record for me? I think so. The heat and the humidity have taken over very early this summer and the last thing I want to do is add more heat. So I've been eating a lot of salads, subs, tomato & mozzarella, etc.. and of course ice cream.I asked on twitter what ya'll wanted me to post next and almost everyone said salad. OK. To be honest I never thought to share salads, but maybe someone out there will dig it as much as I do. My salads are a little out of this world, but that's because I love my salads kicked up too, just like my desserts and meals. But I think you might like this salad as it has a lot of flavor and textures going on in it. Not to mention protein. It's pretty easy to guess what's on this one: avocado's, tortilla strips, black olives, feta, red kidney beans. The dressing is catalina. Yeah big gourmet surprise. But have ya'll tried Catalina? Man that stuff is goooood. I've just tried it in the last two years. That stuff goes with everything. Amazing in taco salads too. What's not in the photo are banana peppers; I saw those in the fridge last minute and had to have them.What's your favorite way to kick up a salad? Do you eat more salads in the summer?

Dawn, you know my feeling about salads since I spent an entire summer eating lettuce in 1986....but I have to say this picture looks positively amazing! You really are talented and creating food AND taking the pictures!

Never heard of Catalina... In my side of the world we have our salads with olive oil, salt and vinegar and that's all. My favourite salads are the one with pasta and 2 things I love in my salads are olive and fetta!!!

I'd really like to hear a comment by someone who's actually tried this recipe. Everyone says it "looks good." Well, yes, but how does it taste!? And did anyone tweak it in any way? To me, that's what comments are all about(?)

Tomatoes, garlic, salt & pepper, fresh basil. Drizzle with olive oil and a good balsamic vinegar (ever try Williams Sonoma Olivier balamic vinegar? They should sell nips of it!). Add some good toasted rustic bread, like ciabatta,chopped up. The bread will soak up all that juicy goodness, and you will be transported...your taste buds will thank you.

A salad that's a complete meal is a total winner! We usually have a small salad with dinner, unless I make a particularly vegetable-laden meal; it's the usual lettuce and tomato but I like to add seeds or nuts, rather than cheese. As for dressings, I'm really partial to Asian-flavored ones, like ginger-soy-sesame. 8-)

I eat more of them in the summer but mainly because the lettuce is so much nicer then. Plus=eating them makes me think I will look better in my shorts the next day. It never helps, but I like to think it will...

kidney beans and avocado--yum. my salads usually consist of whatever's lingering in the fridge or clogging up the garden. i don't get too inventive, but i always, always include nuts. 'cause i'm nuts about nuts. :)

I DO eat more salads in the summer. In California, we're so blessed to have such great produce for salad fixin's, too. My favorite way to kick it up a notch? With additions like crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese or fresh herbs or homemade sourdough croutons.

I eat more salads in the summer time and I like to add as much fruit as possible or like you do, protein. Mostly fruit because it's in season, fresh and sweet. I usually do chickpeas as my protein addition to a salad. I like catalina dressing, but I tend to reach for vinegarettes or blue cheese.

I've been eating a lot of salads lately. I like to add something crunchy like sesame sticks or almonds. Beans if I remember to cook them ahead of time. The best thing I've added lately is juutso cheese just warmed a little in a skillet.

I eat a -lot- of salads in the summer. They're just so easy to throw together, refreshing, and a good way to use up whatever you have in the fridge. I'm currently obsessed with adding tofu "feta" to everything, but the standard roasted sunflower seeds are always a nice addition, too.

love the red bean salad portion of yours. I've done one very similar and it's still very popular on my site. and for turning the oven on, yeah not so much over here except to bake some flat bread so I can munch on at midnight!

Nice looking salad! Although I prefer mine with more vegetables, heh. Salads are the base of my meal, usually I'll have cabbage, zucchini, tomatoes/bell peppers, little mix of frozen vegetables and something to add protein like cheese, fish, beans or tofu. Even though I eat salads all year round, they are especially a summer food! No heavy dishes in this heat!

about vanilla sugar blog

Unique eats, creative recipes, as simple as possible.What drives me to create? Seeing dishes in restaurants, meals created on TV, recipes in cookbooks/online, and I always think to myself why didn’t they add this or why did they leave out that? Love to question, love to research, and love to learn about combining different flavors and textures in recipes.Recipe creations please email: vanillasugarblog@aol.com